The Sri Lankan Parliament has accepted the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The letter was flown in from Singapore last night and its authenticity has now been verified.
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said a new president would be appointed “quickly and successfully” – with the process set to be completed within seven days.
Rajapaksa resigned after months of protests sparked by anger over the country’s economic crisis.
Mr. Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka on Wednesday with protesters storming the president’s home and the prime minister’s official residence.
The appointment of the prime minister as acting president further angered protesters, who have accused him of protecting Mr. Rajapaksa.
Mr. Rajapaksa initially fled to the Maldives on a military plane with his wife and two security officers, but later went to Singapore.
Initially, the embattled chairman sent an email to confirm that he was resigning.
There were jubilant scenes in the capital Colombo after the resignation was confirmed – with crowds setting off firecrackers and dancing in the streets.
The next president to serve the rest of his term
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In recent days police fired tear gas at protesters
Their new choice as president will serve the remainder of Mr Rajapaksa’s term, which ends in 2024.
That person has the ability to appoint a new prime minister, who will then have to be approved by Parliament.
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The agenda for the weekend meeting will be decided on Friday and voted on for the next chairman in
Parliament was scheduled for July 20.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will serve as interim president and he is also the ruling party’s first choice for full power, although no decision has been made yet.
Crisis due to shortage
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What led to Sri Lanka’s crisis, and how can it recover?
Street protests against Sri Lanka’s economic crisis have been simmering for months and emerged last weekend before
Hundreds of thousands of people have occupied government buildings in Colombo, blaming the Rajapaksa family and its allies for runaway inflation, shortages of basic goods and corruption.
Its rapid economic decline was even more shocking because before this crisis the economy was expanding, with a growing comfortable middle class.
Sri Lanka has begun preliminary discussions with the International Monetary Fund about a potential bailout loan, but these discussions have been interrupted by the latest government turmoil.
